Recovery
by flyingorfalling
Summary: A different take on Letty's reaction to the news of Dom being a father.
1. Fifteen Months

**A/N:** _Didn't post this in my drabble collection 'cause I think I will add one or two more chapters to this piece. To avoid any confusion, I refuse to call this kid Brian._

* * *

Mia woke up from the sound of something hitting the hardwood floor in the hall. When she got out of the bed and opened the door to check, she saw Dom struggling to get back on his feet after he had apparently just stumbled over the toys. He groaned and walked into his room, and Mia wasted no time to follow him, so she could talk to him—which was all she seemed to do these days, trying to talk to him.

"Where the hell have you been?" she asked, entering his room, though she thought she already knew the answer to that question. "Have you been out there—" she started, but the look he gave her told her she was right and she didn't need a response from him. "Geez, Dom, not again." Sitting down on his bed, her eyes on her brother who stood at the window, staring out, Mia sighed.

"You need to stop looking for her. Don't you understand? She doesn't _wanna_ be found." Telling him this was hard, _knowing_ this was sad, and she knew it was even harder for him to hear that. But the sooner he accepted that the better. This had been going on for too long. He needed to focus on the things that really mattered right now. "The kid sleeping next door? That's _your_ son, and that lil' boy needed you today. He was crying all day. You should take care of _him_ , not—"

"Do you know where she is?" Dom asked, turning round to face her.

The look on his face broke Mia's heart, but it didn't change a thing. He had brought that on himself. It wasn't Letty's fault that he was in so much pain. Kind of, it was, but his own actions had led him here, so Mia couldn't give in and tell him everything she knew, even though she felt sorry for her brother. She hated seeing him so broken. But talking to Letty almost every day since the Latina had left, had made her realize that Dom wasn't even nearly as heartbroken as she was. How strong she was to have made the decision to leave him, knowing her feelings, her love for him, would haunt her every single step of the way. Mia admired Letty's strength.

"Of _course_ I know where she is. At least she told me last night. I don't know if she's still there," she said to him in all honesty, "Either way, I'm not gonna tell you, because I gotta respect her wishes. I _do_ respect her wishes. I'm sorry, Dom."

"But I'm your brother, Mia." Dom's eyes pierced through her, and Mia felt it. It was as though they could find all the answers he was looking for inside of her, if he just stared at her intensively enough.

"Stop saying that like it's giving you the right to know it all," she raised her voice. "Like I'm supposed to tell you everything, because you and I are related. And for God's sake, stop looking at me like that."

"I'm your brother," he repeated more quietly, less demanding.

"And she is my _sister_ ," Mia shot back angrily, yet trying to keep her voice down, so she wouldn't wake up everyone else in the house. "I want her to be happy. And if she can't be—If Letty can't be happy with—If she can only be happy when she's, like, 3000 miles away from you, then that's where I think she should be. Even if it hurts not having her around. Even if I miss her." With those last two sentences, the anger left her voice, making room for sadness. Not for long though, as she continued with embitterment, "And trust me, I resent the _hell_ out of you for making her leave."

"I resent me even more for—"

"Why, Dom? What happened?" Though she had had the chance to say goodbye to her best friend, she had never really gotten any kind of explanation about _why_ Letty felt like running away so quickly. She could only imagine that it had something to do with Marcus.

" _He_ happened." Dom spit out the words like they were swamp mud, and Mia knew instantly he didn't mean to make them sound that way; sound so harsh. "I wanted us to raise him up together, but Let—"

"She didn't want to?"

Dom nodded, as he sat next to her. "She said, she _couldn't_. I think she didn't want to either, but that's not what she said, she—she said some mean things... about me... about how I treated her, and then she—She said she couldn't be the mom of my, and I quote, side piece's bastard, packed up her things and left." He blinked, trying to evade the tears threatening to fall. "Well, she did tell me she loves... _loved_ me, but that it wasn't enough. That I had put her through—hurt her too much, and she needed to look out for herself from now on... and she felt she deserved better."

Suddenly, every inch of Dom began trembling and he buried his face in his hands. Mia didn't hear him sob, but she knew he was crying. It was an awful thing to witness, though not the first time she had seen her brother like that. And she hated to admit it, but she understood why Letty had done what she had, why she couldn't have stayed with him. She _did_ deserve better. But Mia also knew that no one loved Letty more than Dom did. He had always loved her; he had just been terrible at showing it in the past. Mia knew that, too. And unfortunately, that had now come back to haunt them. But if anyone could make it through such a mess, it'd be Dom and Letty.

"She is right, you know."

"I'm sorry?"

"Letty. She's right." Dom raised his head again to look Mia in the eyes. "She's right to think she deserves better and that I have put her—She didn't deserve all of this, but I did what I thought was right. I still thi—I mean some things I should've done differently, or shouldn't have done at all, but what was I supposed to do? Give him up for adoption?"

Mia didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything, which made Dom assume the wrong thing.

"C'mon, you can't be serious," he scoffed. "He _is_ mine, Mia. And you know how important family is to me. I could never—" He paused, inhaling deeply, as he remembered the moment he would've given _anything_ for his wife. "When Letty took that case and ran away and Rhodes put a gun to her head, I was willing to shoot him. I knew Cipher would kill my son and I didn't care. I just wanted Letty to be safe. But it's different now. He's here. He's _with_ me now and—"

"You don't have to explain anything to me," Mia tried to smile. She put a hand on his knee and gave it a little squeeze. "Just stop. Stop going out there every day... every night... to look for her. I know you've been in Mexico, searched everywhere for the last couple of weeks, like two months now, but you gotta leave her alone. Let her _be_."

"I can't, Mi."

"Yes, you can. And you will," Mia sighed. He was a hopeless case. His stubbornness was annoying. "What if you _do_ find her, huh? Have you thought about that?"

Dom shook his head, then turned his face away and actually tried to think of it. What _would_ he do?

He would probably ask her to stop running from him; to stop living her life away from the people she loved and the place she called home. He didn't expect her to get back with him, continue where they'd left off, although maybe, deep inside, he did, but he just wanted to be able to see her everyday; to know for sure that she was all right. And he couldn't do that, if he didn't even know where Letty was.

"She knows you're looking for her. I told her," Mia admitted. "And you know what she said? She said she won't come. She won't come home to you, Dom. She's not ready."

Dom pricked up his ears at Mia's last words, looked back at her, and asked, kind of hopeful, "So, she _will_ come back? When she's ready?"

"I don't know. Letty wasn't—She wasn't very specific about that. I mean, didn't say."

"And what do you _think_?"

Mia heaved a sigh. Letty hadn't talked much about her feelings, basically dodged every question Mia had asked her that revolved around her plans for the future. However, when she had asked Letty, if she would ever see her again, she hadn't hesitated to say she would. 'Of course, you'll see me again, are you kidding?' were her exact words, and though they had made Mia smile, it still hadn't sounded like that would happen anytime soon. And she honestly didn't want her brother to fall into a sort of limbo, always waiting for Letty to come back to him.

So she told him, "I think you need to let her go. I don't want you to wait for something that'll never happen. And I know you're not good at this, letting people go, I know it hurts, but... she's done."

A hot branding iron rammed in his eye couldn't have stung worse as his sister's words stung his heart. The pain he felt was a pain he had never felt in his life before. It was even worse than when he thought she had died. The thing was, dying wasn't a choice she could've made. This was. She had obviously made the choice to stay out of his life for good. To be without him. Forever. He had never thought she would choose to go down that path, not after they had finally been reunited in the greatest way possible. Their honeymoon had been filled with more love any poet could ever put into words. Now, Dom felt like no poet had ever written anything with that kind of pain he was in.

"The worst part is... This is all my fault. I can't even be mad at her. I can only be mad at myself," Dom mentioned, closing his eyes. He wasn't mad at himself, he _hated_ himself; hated himself for making her leave, for losing the person that was most important to him.

"It'll be okay, Dom," Mia whispered leaning her head against his, as she saw a tear running down his cheek. She cried with him, silently, feeling his pain of losing Letty as well as her own pain of missing her. She had never imagined them to end up like this, to see their little family fall apart, but life was unpredictable, and so all she could do was hope that their wounds would heal.

* * *

It was about a year later that Mia got a phone call from Letty, telling her she would come home. She'd had enough time to process what had happened and was now finally ready to face him again, be around the person that had caused her so much pain—her husband. Mia had thought about whether to prepare Dom for this moment, but decided that nothing could prepare him for the tsunami of feels that would hit him once he would see Letty again, after all this time.

And Mia was right to think so.

When the Latina showed up at the Sunday BBQ held in their backyard, Dom stared at her like she wasn't even real. He spent all day running around like he had seen a ghost, not saying a word to anyone. Mia tried talking to him, because she worried he would break down or act out in some way, but he didn't. And he wouldn't talk to her either. He was strangely calm, like this was someone else's problem and everything was all right. He wasn't even impolite—he laughed at the guys' jokes and smiled his usual smile—he just didn't speak.

Although Letty noticed his weird behavior, she tried ignoring him. It was harder than she'd thought, and she hadn't imagined to feel such pain upon seeing him again, but she tried her best not to let anyone else become aware of that; to act like it didn't concern her, like being back wasn't awkward or anything. Lucky for her, the guys acted as though she had never left, so that made it a bit easier for her to have the place feel like home again. But she knew she couldn't avoid talking to Dom forever. She knew she had to and she knew it would hurt.

And then they bumped into each other in the kitchen, though she wasn't sure whether that was a coincidence or if he had watched her go inside and decided to follow, because they obviously needed to talk. She was surprised to see his face when she turned around, after grabbing another six pack from the fridge, but managed to not let him pick up on that, didn't let it show how uncomfortable she felt in his presence. Her lips were smileless, her body stiff, and she held on to the beer in her hand for dear life.

Dom gazed, for a few moments, upon that face motionless as marble, while his very soul seemed lost in the vortex of a whirlpool. He could feel his heart beat against his bosom, his temples throbbing, and tentativeness made his throat dry and his chest tight. All this time he had been wanting to talk to her, _fifteen_ months, and now that he could, he didn't even know where to begin. He swallowed hard, tried to find a way to overcome the fear of saying the wrong thing. He didn't even want to say anything; he just wanted to embrace her in a hug.

"Why are you here, Letty?" he then let out, not really sure of why he'd chosen to say _that_ of all things. He didn't even care why she was back, he just cared that she _was_.

"Why am I—" The six-pack landed down hard on the kitchen counter, as Letty, with chin jutting, shot him an undaunted look of defiance. He couldn't possibly be serious asking her that. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she started, her voice painted with anger. "I'm _here_ , because no matter what happens or where I go, I live here. This is my _home_. My _family_." She paused for a second. "Because I _belong_ here."

Dom absorbed her angry tirade, taking heed of her sharp words. "You do," he sighed. "You always have, Let." His voice was barely above a whisper. He took a step towards her, reaching out to grab her by the waist, but Letty quickly pulled away. Dom was puzzled.

"I'm back, but... I'm not back with _you_ ," she spoke evenly, not giving away any of the myriad of emotions coursing through her.

She froze him by her coldness and indifference. He opened his mouth, but not a word, not a single sound, came out of it. He closed his eyes, trying not to let those tears fall that kept burning behind his eyelids. It was so hard, so painful, to be in the same room as her, after spending more than a year just being alone, and not be able to get close to her, because she wouldn't let him. Dom didn't know what to say or do. All he wanted was _be_ with her, take her into his arms and hold her tight.

Letty stared at him as he stood before her, with his eyes closed, not moving a muscle. She knew him well enough to know that he was close to crying and it hurt to see the pain in his demeanor. She could feel it without having to look into his eyes. She could feel how deeply saddened he was by her cold behavior towards him, could feel how much Dom wanted things to be different between them. She wanted that too, but she couldn't help the way she was feeling and they couldn't just go back to the start. She wasn't ready for that.

"Dom," she called out his name in a soft voice, and he looked at her.

"Don't you love me anymore?" he asked her another question and Letty was sure he could hear her heart break. The water in his eyes pooled over and hot tears burned the sensitive skin on his face. "I just—I need to know, if you still—"

"I do," she told him, "I still love you, Dom. I love you so much," her voice broke, as tears started to run down her cheeks before she could even summon the energy to stop them, "but I just can't _be_ with you right now," she cried out.

Letty hoped he understood that her behavior had nothing with the fact her feelings had changed. She still loved him the way she had always loved him—with all her heart and soul, with everything she had to give. But her husband fathering another woman's child wasn't something she could get over so quickly and although more than a year had passed, Letty still didn't find it in her heart to forgive him. But being back home again, in the same place as him, was at least a step into the right direction.

Dom saw the well of tears flow like rain down her cheeks and it made him cry even more. He was beyond the point of trying to make his tears stop. He just wanted her to see the pain he was feeling, and he didn't care if she would push him away again, but he wanted to hold her. So he stepped closer to her once more and tried grabbing her by the waist. She let it happen. He circled his arms around her body, and she let that happen too. And when he almost crushed her in his embrace, Letty didn't resist but wrapped her arms so tightly around him, Dom struggled to breathe for a moment.

Dom cried silently whilst her sobs tore through the silence. He tried to find words to say to her to make her feel better, but couldn't think of anything, because he knew nothing could make this pain go away right now. Knowing she still loved him, as much as she always had, that they would still be married, was a relief, and yet it also hurt him, because it didn't keep them from being apart. This was more than a rough patch, but they had promised to be there for each other when things became hard, and this was it. Ride or die.

"I'm so sorry," Dom said in a weak, tearful voice, "I love you, Letty."

He kissed the top of her head and inhaled deeply, and Letty knew it was her scent he breathed in so greedily. He began to rub her back energetically, as if coaxing the pain from her, but the longer he did that the more Letty seemed to cry. She hugged him closer, if that was even possible, and tried to calm down. It was something she had longed for for the last _fifteen_ months—being in his strong arms where the world always felt a bit less crazy and the weight on her heart a little lighter. This was where she belonged.

"Daddy," a voice Letty didn't know but knew exactly whom it belonged to filled the air and she immediately extracted herself from Dom's arms, taking a few hasty steps back. She almost stumbled, but managed to steady herself grabbing the table.

"Look who's up from his nap," Dom addressed his son, surprised about himself of how fast he had adjusted to the different atmosphere in the room. "You remember, Letty?"

Dom stared at his wife whose eyes were wide with shock, as she stood frozen in place in front of him. She looked completely freaked out. Her gaze rested as heavy as lead armor on the child that was his son and it felt like she had managed to forget about him in the small moment she had shared with her husband. And Dom wanted so much to get back into that moment with her, but he knew his son wouldn't go away. His existence was nothing they could ignore so easily, and it wasn't like he even wanted that, because he loved him. He loved them _both_.

The little boy, who was sheepishly hiding behind and tightly clinging to his father's leg, peeked out to look up at the woman in front of him with his big brown eyes. He shook his head but then, after a small pause, nodded. "Is that a yes?" Dom asked, and Marcos nodded again. Although he wasn't entirely sure the boy could really remember his wife, it made him happy to see he wasn't afraid of Letty or anything, just shy. "You wanna say hi to her?" Once again, Marcos nodded his head.

"I'm sorry, Dom, but I can't do this," Letty exclaimed, as she finally had her voice back.

She looked into his eyes for a second, taking what she needed, the reassurance that it would be okay, that _they_ would be okay. They were moving forward and for the time being, apart, but it felt like the right thing right now, no matter how much it hurt. It didn't mean it would be like this forever. She had not a single doubt in her heart that they would find their way back to each other. She just needed more time. She couldn't say if a day, one week or another few months, but if she really wanted this to work, she couldn't be rushed into it.

Dom watched her leave and it was like his heart and soul had walked straight out that door with her. He felt so empty inside, even worse than after Letty had left him the first time. He had just gotten her back and now she was gone again. But gone where? Dom could hear the others asking her where she was going, but the only thing he could hear from her were the sobs that sounded as loud as when she had still been in the kitchen. Would she ever come back? He had tried to show her a reassuring look that they would be okay, but did Letty believe that, too?

"Why did she run away, daddy?" the young child gazed up at him, confusion but also sadness in his voice. "Because of me?"

Dom sat down at the kitchen table and pulled his son into his lap. He kissed his cheek, trying to smile, but he just looked sad. "She ran away, because sometimes when you love someone you get hurt, and no matter how much you still love that person, you have to let them go so you can heal. So you can come back stronger and be with the one you love again."

"Letty love you?"

"You know, when you hurt the one you love you often see _just_ how much they love you," Dom said and felt tears well up in his eyes again. He tried to blink them back.

"You love her?" Marcos asked.

"More than she'll ever know," Dom sighed, running his hand over the boy's head, stroking it gently.


	2. Vulnerable

**A/N:** _So, Elena got pregnant in Fast 6, but the child in this story is closer to Jack's age, because the messed up timeline in the movie makes Dom look like a cheater_ _. (Insert massive eye roll here.) Since it's already been 15 months, Marcos is four now. Should I make him five? I don't know... I hope you like this chapter. Gotta thank my beta for not making feel bad about Letty's actions, but actually liking it, haha. Thank you all for the support! x_

* * *

Letty sat down on the hood of her car and curled into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest. She took a deep breath, struggling for control. Tears stabbed her eyes. She was dressed in a white tank top and hot pants, a pair of sandals on her feet. The sun burned through her back like a red-hot iron, but the breeze ruffled her hair, chilling the sweat against her skin. Staring out at the ocean, she heard footsteps in the distance, coming closer, but didn't turn around to look, because she knew exactly who it was.

"Thanks for calling me."

From the corner of the eye, Letty watched Mia sit down next to her, felt her eyes piercing her, but she still didn't look at her. She didn't want her friend to see that she was on the verge of tears although it was only a matter of time until she would break down. She could feel it. She could feel how the emotions inside her slowly but surely became too strong to bottle them up. They were causing internal havoc. But at least she felt safe crying in front of Mia, who had always been her sister and the best friend she had ever had.

"We were so happy here," Letty let out a sharp breath, silently cursing her voice as it quavered. Mia's arm wrapped around her body, pulling her close and the Latina rested her head on Mia's shoulder, looping her own arm around her sister's waist, holding on tight. "This is where he asked me to go to Cuba with him."

She remembered their date like it had been yesterday. Almost all day, she had wondered why he was so excited about it—more than usual—and then Dom had asked her if she wanted to spend their honeymoon in Cuba. And she hadn't hesitated to say yes. She had loved the idea of meeting his family and going on a new adventure. She would have gone anywhere with him just to be with him. Every beautiful moment they had ever had hung like a framed photo on the walls inside her mind—and walking along that hallway of memories had never felt so sad, so bitter, almost making Letty want to tore all of those pictures down.

"I'm sorry you're hurting," Mia said, sighing, and gave Letty a small kiss on the temple. "But it's not... I know you don't wanna hear this, but it's not Marcos's fault. That boy needs a mother and you know my brother wouldn't want anyone else to take that place. He needs you."

"I'm sure Monica would love to look after his baby," Letty scoffed.

"Why are you so angry?" Pushing her gently off her shoulder, she looked at her and when Letty met her gaze, Mia could see the tears in Letty's eyes. "I mean I get why, Letty, but it's not like Dom cheated on you. That child was conceived _before_ you were back... when he thought you were dead... He didn't hook up with Elena when—"

"I almost cheated on him." The words left her lips as casually as though she had been commenting on the weather. Letty turned her face away, looking back out at the ocean. She laced her fingers through her hair, twisting handfuls of it and releasing it to repeat the action.

"You did?" Mia stared at Letty's face, the hard line of her mouth, the stern look in her eyes. She could hardly believe those words. Of course, she didn't believe for a second that Letty would ever cheat on her brother, but that she almost had made Mia sick to her stomach. She had never seen Dom and Letty so broken and she could only hope that they would soon find a way to take care of their damaged souls.

"And, you know, when I looked at him today, I didn't even feel bad about it." She knew the fact that she didn't feel sorry then, didn't mean anything. She knew she had to tell him—she _wanted_ to tell him—but Letty also knew that once she talked to Dom about it, and saw the expression on his face, she'd find that guilt inside her after all.

"What did you do?" Mia asked. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to hear an answer to her question.

"I just wanted someone to fuck my goddamn brains out, so I wouldn't have to feel this pain anymore... feel _anything_ anymore." Letty looked at her, sighing. "I didn't mean to do this to him, Mi, but it hurt so much, you know? I just couldn't stand it."

 _Sitting in a corner of the club, Letty sipped her beer. It tasted of lemon and watermelon. Drinkable, Dom would have called it. It wasn't like their usual brew, a Corona, and m still, just holding the bottle in her hand reminded Letty of him. Everything did. Even being in the club did, as she remembered the time she had found him in the Dominican Republic, surrounded by two skanks. She snorted at the vision. It had only been a few days since she had left him and each day, each_ _moment_ _, her emotions turned from disappointment to anger, from anger to sadness, and then back. They switched back and forth like a ping-pong ball. Mostly, though, she felt just hurt._

 _She watched the crowd and saw the guy she had raced earlier walk over to her slowly, but she didn't move a muscle. She just fixed her gaze on him, waiting for him to sit down next to her. When he did, a wide smirk appeared on his face. Letty took another sip of her beer, not paying much attention to him, making him feel like he was neither welcome there nor did she wanted to be left alone. He seemed to become aware of the mood she was in, and was totally digging it, because his smirk got even wider, as though he was enjoying himself. He was also full of himself._

"I let you win, you know," he mumbled, staring at her like she was some kind of trophy. Only one guy had ever looked at her like that and being reminded of that—being reminded of him again—was so painful, Letty could barely keep her eyes on the man next to her.

"Wanna go somewhere private?" she asked, emptying the bottle. She wasn't keen on making small talk with him; she just wanted to stop feeling. She wanted to stop thinking of Dominic Toretto and that child he had from another woman, if only for a moment.

The guy grabbed a handful of peanuts, as he considered his answer, though Letty was certain there was nothing he needed to consider, because his eyes had been all over her from the moment she had pulled up at the start line, ready to kick his ass at a drag race. "Do I look like a guy who'd say no to a woman like you?"

He grinned broadly and got up from his seat and Letty followed him like a ghost, like she wasn't even aware of the fact her legs were moving. They left the club through the rear exit. Letty could tell, he was eager to get some. He just gave off this weird vibe that made her feel like he didn't race for the respect or for the money, but rather for the girls he could impress. His car was parked in the back alley. He had probably parked it there on purpose, hoping to pick up a woman tonight—who would've thought that girl would be her.

He opened the door and looked at her, a smirk on his lips. "Get in."

"Why do you want me to get in when we can do it out here?" The words came out of her mouth, but Letty didn't feel like it was actually her who was saying them.

"I like the way you think," the guy said and immediately pushed her against the hood of the car. Letty grunted, but let him do it without any resistance. Then he put his filthy lips on her mouth and she pushed him away. Whatever she was doing now with that guy, she wasn't meant to be kissed by any other man but him. Her lips were his—Dom's.

Letty knew she was about to do something really stupid, but she didn't feel like she actually cared. She rather felt like she hadn't even been drinking enough to numb the excruciating pain inside her that seemed too huge to even fit into her small body. It was slowly—painfully—tearing her apart. She didn't want to feel it anymore. She didn't want to feel anything anymore. So if mindless sex was in any way the solution to her problem, she had to at least consider it.

"You can fuck me, but you can't kiss me," she stated emotionless, and he seemed turned on by it.

"Damn, you're a special kinda girl," he said, his face lighting up like a light bulb.

He started kissing her at the side of her neck. Letty remained still. Then he went further down her body and reached her breasts, trying to suck on them through the fabric of her shirt, and she still didn't move. The guy lifted her on the hood of his car and she lay back, allowing him to touch her body wherever he wanted. He moved to her thighs, letting his tongue ran along the skin on one side, slowly reaching her center. Letty closed her eyes and just let her tears fall.

She wasn't turned on by any of it. She wished she could have that mindless sex she was craving so much right now, but all she felt was even more of that pain. She loved Dom, no matter what he had done or how much he had made her suffer. She was _married_ to him. She couldn't _cheat_ on him. She could _never_ cheat on him. He still meant everything to her. Maybe this was what she should do—cheat on him with some hot-looking racer in a back alley—but it was _not_ what she wanted to do. All she wanted was for this pain to stop.

Before that guy's mouth could touch her most sensitive spot, while he was still caressing her thigh, she pushed him away from her with such force that he landed down hard on the ground. This had already gone too far. It reminded her of all the times the love of her life had had skank-lips on his mouth, skank-hands on his body; all the times Dom had fucked other women when they had still only been friends with benefits. Letty didn't want to be exactly like the person she had loathed so much. No, this wasn't her. She loved him!

"Get off of me," she shouted and she could see the huge surprise in his face. He was completely baffled, not only because she had pushed him away, but also because she had tears in her eyes and her voice was quavering. "Leave me alone! Get the fuck away from me," she kept shouting at him.

The guy tried to regain his composure as quickly as possible. He got up from the ground and moved closer again, brushing the dirt off his pants. "You can't just lead me on like that, make my fucking dick all hard, and then push me away. Who do you think you are, huh?"

Ready to fight him if necessary, Letty put both hands up in defense and gave him an icy stare. "I swear," she threatened him, "you touch me again and I'm gonna rip it off and make you team pussy."

 _He laughed out loud, obviously not taking her seriously, and moved his hands to her waist. Letty's fist flew to his face immediately, making him groan with pain as his body sank to the cold ground again. He held his aching cheek and looked up to her. "You're fucking insane!" he yelled, his blood boiling._

 _Although she was still crying, Letty looked furious, as she screamed at him, "I'm fucking married!" Turning around, she walked away, adjusting her clothes while tears kept falling from her eyes. "I'm married," she repeated to herself quietly as she raked her fingers through her hair, wishing she could ran right into the loving arms of her husband._

"Letty... Dom's gonna-"

"I know, Mia, I know," Letty cut her off. "I know this is gonna hurt him, but that's not why I did it. I didn't do it to hurt him back."

"You were never really good with emotions, I guess," Mia voiced her thoughts. "I mean, back then, you—Whenever you felt something deep for him, you ran the other way." She shook her head, remembering all those moments of complete stubbornness. "Even though I told you like a hundred times to talk to him about your feelings, you rather went to some street race, getting you half-killed. And it was even worse when my brother hurt you." She sighed. "Being in pain is like the worst thing in life for you, so I get why you didn't wanna feel it."

"Thanks for understandi—"

"But that doesn't make it right." Mia jumped off the hood of the car and started pacing from one side to the other. "Why didn't you talk to me? We could've found a way to make it work. I could've helped you." Letty watched, as Mia continued ranting. "God, why is it that you're _always_ too stubborn to admit that you need someone to be there for you? Tell me! Because I really don't get it. I thought we were passed that." It was hard for Mia not to break out into tears. "I know I said was fine with you being away, 'cause I just wanted you to be happy, but I lied, okay? I lied! I _hated_ the fact you weren't home and that I couldn't talk to you and be there for you. You're my sister, Letty, and I love you so much... I wanted to share that grief with you. I didn't want you to be alone with it."

"Mia..." Letty's tears started falling like rain from the sky. She hadn't realized the hurt she had caused her best friend. They had talked every day over the phone, and of course Mia had noticed the pain she had been in, but Mia had told her how proud she was of her for doing what was best for her and Letty had been foolish enough to actually believe her. She hadn't realized how hard it had been for Dom's sister to be in this position and Letty felt truly sorry for hurting her by the way she had shut her out.

Moving off the hood and over to her, Letty embraced Mia in a hug, holding her tight, as though she never wanted to let her go again. That's when Mia began shedding tears of her own. "I'm sorry, babe," Letty apologized. "I'm so sorry." Crying into her hair, she kissed Mia's temple. "I love you, too."

Mia hugged her back tightly as tears streamed down both their cheeks. "I'm so glad you're home," she sobbed, "I've missed you so much... Please don't ever... leave again... We need you!"

The girls stood hugging each other and crying together for a minute. Then Letty extracted herself from Mia's arms and looked at her as she let her thumbs run over her cheeks. "You know what makes me the worst sister ever?" She paused, waited for her breathing to steady and her tears to run dry. "I missed the birth of your little angel."

"You didn't," Mia shook her head. "I facetime'd you from the hospital, remember? Like an hour after she was born." Thinking back to that moment made Mia smile through her tears. "She heard your voice and she saw your face. My baby knows who her auntie is."

"You know that's not the same," Letty said in frustration. "I should've been there... come visit you." She pulled her into another hug that lasted for a few moments. "But I'm here now, so put me on baby duty whenever you feel like it. I'm all in, alright?"

A soft chuckle escaped Mia's lips. "You might regret having said that later. She's a bit of a handful."

"Then y'know she is _just_ like me," Letty laughed. "I can handle that. Trust me, we're gonna get along just fine." Letty took a strand of Mia's hair and placed it behind her ear and Mia did the same to her, brushing hair from Letty's face. "I can't face your brother right now, Mi. I tried, but when the kid... He appeared in the doorway and I just lost it. I had to get outta there."

"I know how hard that is for you, sweetie, I do, but sooner or later you have to talk to him unless—"

"Unless?" Letty narrowed her eyes.

"Unless this thing with Marcos is really too painful for you and you'd rather break things off with Dom. Is that what you want?"

"No," Letty almost screamed out the word. "I want _us_. I want us to..." She sighed deeply. "Solo quiero recuperar mi amor. (I just want my love back.) I want _Dom_." Her eyes filled with tears again. "I miss him so much. I miss... being with him. I even miss the way he—he looks at me." As cheesy as that sounded, it was the undeniable truth. "And it hurts. It really hurts. Not getting to be with him… with the man I love... is fucking painful. I feel like—like some part inside me is dead. I feel _empty_. And I know I could just forgive him and have that part come back to life, but—"

"You're not ready," Mia concluded.

"I always knew Dom wanted kids, but I never felt like... I never saw myself as a mother. And I was so scared to lose him, 'cause I didn't know if I'd ever stop feeling that way. I didn't want him to have this hole inside him... that unfulfilled wish for a child. But when we were in Cuba and I saw him surrounded by kids it just felt so right." Letty's eyes were burning, filling, tears catching in the lashes, breaking free and wetting her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed. It did nothing.

Mia stepped closer, wanting to pull her into her arms, but the Latina backed away. "I don't know how it happened, but that place changed me... Being with him there," Letty continued, "I really wanted us to try, you know?" She sobbed. She hated herself for crying so much, but she couldn't stop. "Then I find out he's already _got_ a kid." She just couldn't stop. "Now I can't give him the joy of… becoming a dad… 'cause some other woman did that to him… So, tell me, Mi… Am I being punished for not wanting a baby before?" She screamed. She screamed out her pain, as though it would save her from feeling it.

"Don't _ever_ think that," Mia butted in, "you hear me?" She threw her arms around her and Letty tried to fight her off, but Mia kept holding her tight until she finally stopped resisting and just let the comfort—and pain—wash over her. "Letty, the day you make Dom a father of your own child will be the happiest day of his life. Believe me. He's gonna fall in love with you all over again."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," Letty mumbled.

"Oh, you shut up!" Mia immediately gave her a slap on the back, a little harder than she had intended to. It made Letty groan with pain. "When have I ever said _anything_ to you to make you feel better? I'm always honest with you." Stroking Letty's back, she waited for her to calm down. "You gotta tell him how you feel. Please, Letty, just talk to him," she pleaded. "My brother was _miserable_ without you and he truly hates himself for hurting you."

"I know that he's sorry," Letty said, sighing. She rubbed her puffy eyes and pulled back to be able to look at Mia's face. "I know Dom misses me... _loves_ me. I know that he's... hurting… But I look at that child and I'm reminded of my own pain. And as long as it's like that, I don't know how to be around him." She ran her fingers through her hair, ruffling it. "It's not Marcos's fault. I know that, too. He's just an innocent kid and I shouldn't be so goddamn… _cold_. You know, when I saw that little boy, I couldn't even smile. He must think I hate him."

"I'm sure Dom explained it to him," Mia tried taking some of that guilt away from her. She could see how it was eating her up. She could see that deep down Letty actually felt something for that four-year old. Mia was convinced that it was something like love, maybe even love itself. Whatever she felt, Mia was sure Letty would learn to love that boy, because Letty had learned to love every part of Dom and that child was a part of him now, too.

"He looks just like him." Closing her eyes, Letty remembered the boy's cute dimples and the way Marcos had looked at her with a pair of big brown eyes she knew all too well. "So even if I wanted to hate him, I couldn't." She opened her eyes and a wet layer of tears covered them. She had lost count of how many times she had cried today. "I really don't know what to do." Letty let out a deep breath. "Should I spend time with him to see if I can—if this pain will ever stop or should I just hide myself away and hope for something that might never happen?"

"No hiding. _Ever_ ," Mia said sternly. "You're staying home with us. You can sleep in the guest room. And you are gonna talk to Dom, 'cause I'm sure as hell not gonna let what happened with Elena ruin a relationship that has lasted for over sixteen years." Her eyes were on fire as though she was mad and Letty knew better than to argue with an angry Mia.

"Fine," she gave in, heaving another sigh. "I will stay and—"

"Talk to him," Mia interrupted. She knew exactly how much the Latina wanted to avoid having an honest conversation with her husband and feel more of that pain she tried so hard to overcome, but she wouldn't let her get away with it. If she had to, she would pressure her every single day to talk to him until Letty would have enough of it and just go do it.

"I can't. Not yet."

"You will."

"But Mia—"

"There is no freakin' but, Leticia. Geez!" Mia rolled her eyes at her, and Letty frowned. Had Mia Toretto just used her full name? And cursed? _And_ rolled her eyes? Then Letty knew she would be in serious trouble, if she even dared to object. "Do you really think putting it off for now and doing it later will hurt less? I hadn't talked to Brian in _five_ years and when I finally did, it _still_ hurt like hell." Mia stared deep into her eyes, piercing her. "Letty, you can't work this out by avoiding him. Waiting will only make it worse. Trust me."

"What if we get interrupted again? I need us to have some time—"

"Alone? I make sure you get that," Mia said, smiling. "Brian and I can take the kids to beach. Those boys love it so much they probably wish they lived there. You won't see any of us for like a day, I promise."

Letty leaned her body against the car, shaking her head as if to get rid of the thoughts that were too heavy. "And you sure we will get through this? Because I'm starting to think—"

"You think too much," Mia didn't let her finish that sentence. "Way too much. And sometimes you don't think at all, like before you go do something stupid." She chuckled and moved to Letty's side, putting her arm around her. "Listen... Ever since my stupid brother fell in love with that feisty young girl who lived down the street, he's become a better person. The world owes it to you that he's using his brain now."

For an instant—you had to be quick to catch it—there was a smirk on Letty's face.

"I honestly don't know what the hell Dom was thinking hooking up with Elena without using protection, or hooking up with her at all, but I do know that he was barely holding on when he did. He pretended to be fine, but every single day he was smiling through the pain of losing you. You know how he is... How he likes to... _pretend_. He's like you sometimes. He hates to feel the things that hurt him, because God forbid, it makes him weak, you know, like an _actual_ human being." Mia couldn't help it. She rolled her eyes again. Her dear brother—always pretending to be a tough guy. The act was getting old.

Letty turned her head just at the right moment to see that massive eye roll. It made her laugh. And it felt good to just let that laugh escape her mouth without feeling the need to cry instead. It felt good to have her sister by her side to help her deal with the pain in a way she could still laugh and smile. Even if that feeling was just there for a second, Mia made her heart feel a little less heavy and she couldn't thank her enough.

"What I'm trying to say is..." Mia kept talking. "If you're asking me, do I believe there's a still a chance for you and Dom to get through this? Then yes... Fucking yes! I believe that with all of my heart. Because _just_ the fact you're alive is reason enough for my brother to never stop fighting for you… over you." Mia smiled. "He will always fight for you and for that relationship you guys have and the only one who could _ever_ make him stop is you, Letty. So, if you don't push him away... if he _feels_ that you want him back… Dom's gonna fight for you with everything he has to give… and you two are gonna be okay."

"He really does love me," Letty said the words quietly like she hadn't actually meant to say them out loud, biting her lower lip.

"He loves you more than anything else in this world, Let." Rubbing Letty's arm, Mia pinched it lightly. "So please come home with me."

Letty sighed, resting her head on Mia's shoulder. "I wish things were different. I wish that... I wish that... baby was mine."

"I know. Me too." Kissing the top of her head, Mia gave her a gentle squeeze. "But you know he _can_ be… one day... when you're ready."

"Do you think I... You think I'd make a great mother?" Letty bit her lip a little harder. It kind of embarrassed her to even ask that.

"The _best_ ," Mia laughed softly. "You'll be such a badass mom, I really can't wait to see it."

"Will you help me?" Letty lifted her head and looked Mia in the eyes.

"Of course I will help you, silly," Mia smiled at her reassuringly. "I'm your sister and sisters gotta be there for each other, right?" She gave her a small peck on the lips and started grinning. "I never thought you and I would ever talk babies. And now look at you! All grown up. You're _actually_ thinking about it."

"Ugh, don't rub it in," she replied, "This is embarrassing enough."

"What?" Mia stifled another laugh, but the grin on her face was extra wide. "It's cute. _You're_ cute. And I love you." She pinched Letty's cheeks. "You and your broody little self."

"God," the Latina grunted, "I shouldn't have said anything. You're never gonna shut up now." She walked to the driver's side and, opening the door, shot Mia an angry glare. Mia knew, though, it wasn't that kind of glare she needed to worry about. Letty wasn't really angry with her, just annoyed. Maybe. "Let's drive. I've been away from that place long enough. I wanna go home."


	3. This Song's For You

_**A/N:** I have this weird headcanon of Dom singing to Letty every now and then or just singing in general, like Vin, which is how this came about... If you haven't listened to Vin's version of Habits (not the one with Kygo), you definitely ___should_. It's pretty emotional and it's kinda how Dom sings it in this one. Hopefully you guys can see this playing out in your head too :)_

* * *

Dom tossed and turned hour after hour, unable to get comfortable and fall asleep. His longing to be with Letty overpowered his need for sleep. He couldn't get her off his mind. He had looked forward to this day for more than a year, but now that it had arrived, instead of being happy, he was disappointed. Mostly, though, Dom was just sad, and lonely. His mind buzzed along a million miles a minute, trying to figure out what he should do, to understand what she w _anted_ him to do. An unknown anxiety gripped his gut and tightened his insides for a reason he could not explain.

He dozed off once and then awoke fitfully soon after, sweat running down his body. Ever since Letty had gone away, he had had those vivid nightmares on a depressingly regular basis. Nightmares about losing her. Nightmares where she was in danger and he couldn't get to her, so he had to watch her die. All he had ever wanted to do was to protect her, but he hadn't managed to do that without hurting her in the process. He had completely failed as a husband, hadn't he? He hadn't meant to hurt her and he believed she knew that, but it didn't change the fact she had seemed miles and miles away from him earlier even though she had stood right in front of him.

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he sat up and took a deep breath, rubbing his neck. She may be miles away emotionally, but she was in fact only a few steps away from him physically, sleeping next door in the guest room. Dom knew it was probably a bad idea, but he needed to see her. He was nothing more than a shell of a man without Letty, all dust and ashes, decayed from within, living in a world where the colors had turned to grey. His son made him smile, but even he could not make him feel complete. Without Letty, he just wasn't really living, and if the same was true for her, he had to find out. He needed to talk to her, not right now, but at some point. Maybe tomorrow.

He walked through the hall way and stopped as soon as he had reached the door to her room. He closed his eyes and took another deep breath, then turned the knob, going inside. The moonlight coming in through the window at least sketched the outlines of objects in the room, so Dom didn't trip over anything as he made his way to the bed she was sleeping in. Sitting down in the arm chair, he was just inches away from her face and he could instantly feel his heart thundering in his chest. If only she knew how much it meant to him just being able to watch her sleep. He had spent so many days sleeping alone, without her, he had almost forgotten how beautiful she looked when she was dreaming.

He loved to watch her sleep almost as much as he loved to gaze into her arresting brown eyes. He loved watching her slow heartbeat in the vein of her neck, watching her find her own peace in her chaotic world. He loved hearing the sounds come out of her mouth. She didn't really snore, but Letty made the cutest little noises as she breathed. She was the complete opposite in her sleep than when she was awake. She rested peacefully and quietly, like an angel, but the moment she awoke, Letty Ortiz Toretto was like a volcano erupting, so passionately filled with life, it still amazed Dom sometimes that she was the same person he had watched at night.

Dom saw her eyelids flutter as she dreamed and he couldn't help but wonder if she had nightmares too. If she had ever dreamed about him the way he had dreamed about her while she had been gone. His heart ached with longing as he heard her sigh in her sleep and a smile creep up on her lips. She looked so very beautiful, even with her hair all in a tangle—so goddamn beautiful when she smiled like that. He wished he could wake her with a loving kiss, wondered how she would react if he did. Quietly Dom slid the chair closer to the bed and reached out his hand to touch her face, slowly brushing his thumb across Letty's cheek. The Latina stirred, but didn't awaken, yet she moaned happily, and Dom smiled at her reaction.

"I love you so much," he whispered as tears filled his eyes. He brushed them away quickly when they fell.

"Dom," he heard his name fall from her lips and for a second he wasn't sure if she was dreaming or awake. But then she opened her eyes and looked at him through her lashes and his heart instantly dropped to the floor at his feet. All the air shot from his lungs and he was unable to even make the smallest sound.

One moment, she could feel Dom's hand on her face but just a second after she had whispered his name, he lost touch with her completely. He froze like a bunny caught in the headlights. His chest barely moved, like he wasn't even breathing. Dom looked like he wanted to run away but his body was failing him. Letty stared right into his eyes, he stared back at her, and she could see that he had been crying. She wondered how long he had been sitting there, watching her sleep, or why he was even there in the first place, but didn't dare to ask him. There was something so heartwarming about having him there, she really didn't want to ruin the moment.

She looked at him in silence. God, how much she had missed seeing that face first thing in the morning! She remembered every single day she had to wake up alone and not been able to look at that beautiful face through half awake eyes, and she felt the pain of those days like she was experiencing it right now. She wanted those days to be over. She wanted to fall asleep in Dom's arms again and see his face when she opened her eyes. She wanted so much to forgive him. Letty knew it wouldn't be easy to adjust to life with Marcos, but it was important for her to feel—deep in her heart—that she really wanted to this work.

Dom slowly got to his feet. "I didn't mean to wake you, Letty, I'm sorry," he apologized in a hushed voice as he started to walk away, but Letty flung out an arm and gripped his brawny forearm to stop him. Dom turned around, staring at her, his eyes questioning her intentions.

"Stay," she said quietly, pulling at his arm a little. "I don't want you to go." Her voice was so weak, Dom could barely hear it.

"You sure about that?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Please," Letty breathed, "hold me," and a silent tear made its way down her cheek.

Dom hesitated briefly, not because he didn't want to—he wanted it too much. His arms ached to hold her, his mouth thirsted for her kisses, and his body longed to be joined with hers. His heart, his soul—his entire being—longed for her with a compelling fierceness he couldn't control and he just didn't want to make things worse between them by crossing a line that he shouldn't cross. He was so scared to fuck up again, he didn't want to move too fast. But seeing the pleading look on Letty's face, seeing how much she needed him to be there for her, almost broke his heart. Maybe this was wrong, but sometimes what you had to do wasn't always right.

Climbing into bed, he spooned up behind her, draping his arm across Letty's waist, and buried his face in her hair. He drew her securely into his arms, knowing this was a major breakthrough in her trust. His lips brushed the back of her neck and he sighed, closing his eyes. Letty snuggled backward into him and stroked a hand down his forearm as it held her tight. She heard him breathe deeply, felt Dom's chest move behind her back, and she closed her lids against everything but the feel of his weight against her. Her fingers curled around his arm as she rested her hands on his clasped against her stomach.

Only Letty had ever brought this protective tenderness out in him; only Letty made him ache with a fierce need to hold her, touch her. Hold her close against his heart for the rest of his life. The silky strands of her hair brushed lightly against his face as he nuzzled her neck. It still felt surreal to him that after all this time looking for her, she finally had come home—and he would never let her go again. Even if she chose to give him up for the sake of his kid, because she couldn't be a mother to Elena's child, he'd never stop fighting for her and for this love they had for each other. Because she _did_ love him. He could feel it. It was evident in the way her body spoke to him, in every heartbeat, each breath she took.

Dom opened his mouth to speak, but not a single sound escaped from his lips. He didn't know if Letty even wanted him to say something, so he rather didn't. Minutes grew into hours, as Dom held her tight, and neither broke the intimacy of their embrace. He thought she had fallen back asleep, but realized quickly that she hadn't as her fingers moved over his skin, stroking it lightly. It was still dark outside, but he could tell the sun would soon rise. Dom breathed in her scent, heaving a deep sigh, and pulled her closer. Knowing they still were at odds with each other, still needed to work this out, made his heart feel heavy. Why couldn't everything just be okay again?

"You're gone and I gotta stay high all the time, to keep you off my mind, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh," Dom started singing softly into her ear, "High all the time, to keep you off my mind, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh," and his voice almost cracked under the weight of his emotions. "I spend my days locked in a haze, tryna forget you, babe." He didn't hold back the tears as he shared his pain through his voice. Singing to Letty was the only thing he thought he could do right now to let her know how it felt to be without her, because it was easier than fumbling for words. "I fall back down. I gotta stay high all my life, to forget I'm missing you."

When he repeated the chorus, and Letty heard his voice break, heard him sniff, the warm liquid of Dom's tears tracing a path down the side of her face, she couldn't hold back her own tears any more as a flood of emotions pushed open the gates and let them escape. She grabbed his arms more tightly, melting into the strength and shelter of Dom's body, and it was as if they flowed together like a stream. He stopped singing and they both cried silently together, cheek pressed to cheek, holding each other like shipwreck survivors clinging to a raft in a shark-infested sea; like this was the last night they'd be together.

Letty knew if she turned over and looked at him she'd be able to see his features. She'd be able to see the face, all the features that made up the man she loved. Loving him and not knowing what the future held ached inside her. She knew things would be okay eventually. She knew his love for her would help to pull her through all of her insecurities, because it always had made her feel strong, but there was so much going on in her head right now that somehow she still felt like she had no solid ground to stand on and was slowly sinking into a hidden plot of quicksand.

Turning in his arms, she saw the truth in his eyes; that despite their differences, despite the pain they both felt, this moment meant just as much to him as it meant to her. Sadness lay in his tearful eyes but they seemed to smile at her. Dom's lips trembled, as if he was trying to speak but could not. His lips. Letty looked at his soft, rounded lips and felt a tingle in her stomach. Months had passed since she had last met his gorgeous lips with a kiss. A year had gone by without the feel of his lips against hers. She could hardly remember their last kiss, couldn't remember how it felt to kiss him, although it seemed her body still knew what it was like because the mere thought of Dom's lips on her skin, made excitement sizzle like champagne through her veins.

Dom stared at her, watched Letty's gaze fall to his lips, and knew right away what to make of that. He had been with her long enough to know exactly what she looked like when she wanted to kiss him, and he was convinced she wanted to do it this very moment—if only she'd give in and act on that desire. He wanted to kiss her, too, but he also wanted her to feel comfortable around him and assaulting her lips wasn't the best way to make her feel that way. But if he couldn't kiss her then at least he wanted to touch her. He already _was_ touching her, strictly speaking, because his arms were around her body, but he wondered, if she'd be okay with him touching her face.

Tentatively, Dom moved one hand from behind her back to the front and wrapped it around her cheek. Then he watched her reacting to it and was glad to see her closing her eyes. It meant Letty was feeling it, not fighting it. Letty's breath eased through narrowed lips as he let his thumb glide over her skin, a slow burn trailed behind each stroke. It was so intense, she felt a tear slip out of the corner of her eye. It ran down her cheek and Dom caught it with his thumb and brushed it away with that same tenderness he was caressing her skin. As she opened her eyes, she fell directly into his gaze and sucked in a slight gasp, Dom's glance so intimate.

"I've missed you so much, Letty," he whispered and smiled weakly. Dom's thumb grazed her lips, first her upper and then her bottom lip. It sent shivers down her spine. "I wanna kiss you so bad." His voice was like velvet, smooth and soft.

Letty reached out her hand, moving it to the back of his head where she let her fingers glide over the skin of his neck and along the side of his face to the front. Resting her hand on Dom's cheek, she smiled softly; a genuine smile, like his words had sparked something in her. She ran her thumb over his skin and Dom shut his eyes, savoring her touch, savoring the trust building between them. He felt the soft brush of her mouth across the left corner of his lips and wished she'd allow him to turn his head and kiss her properly. But he felt like this was what made Letty feel most comfortable and so he didn't move at all and just let the warm tingly feeling wash over him.

And he stayed awash in that feeling even after her lips had lost touch with his mouth; right up until the moment Letty's voice cut softly through the silence, as she told him, "I've missed you, too."

Dom slowly opened his eyes, hers staring into his, and he saw a sad expression sweep across her face. "I never meant to make you leave," he whispered to her.

Letty looked at the cross necklace dangling from his neck, surprised he was wearing it. "Thought you left that on Cipher's plane," she mumbled, as she took it carefully into her hand. It meant so much. That piece of silver was worth a fortune to her. It reminded her of their journey. It reminded her that they shared an unbreakable bond, one that could not even be broken by the agonizing circumstance that her husband had fathered another woman's child. As much as it hurt to be with him right now, it would always hurt more to be alone. She never wanted to be without him.

"I did," he said, looking down at her hand, as she played with the cross. "But I got it back, because it's the only thing I had left of you." Their eyes met. "I will always keep it."

"You had my heart."

"What?"

"You had my heart," she repeated, louder this time. "You still had my heart." Letty looked deeply at him, as she let go of the cross necklace. "You'll always have it, Dom... Even when I'm not around, you're gonna have _all_ of me. And you don't need that stupid thing to remind you."

"It's not stupid, Letty... Why would you—" Dom's calm face broke with a touch of anger behind his eyes as he pulled back a little, but she had a feeling he was just hurt.

"I'm sorry," Letty sighed. "I didn't—It's not—I didn't mean to say—I'm just tired." Laying her head on the pillow, she rubbed her sore eyes and ran a hand through her hair, then looked back at him. He still seemed confused—hurt. "Dom," she said with a small voice, "I'm really sorry, okay? I didn't mean what I said... C'mon, you _know_ how much it means to me."

"I should go," he muttered, taking his eyes off her. He shifted on the mattress, but Letty was quick to grab his arm—again—when Dom had already swung a leg over the side of the bed. He turned around and avoided eye contact at first, but with a strong pull of his arm, she made him look at her.

"I said _stay_." Her voice was stern, but that shaft of moonlight, falling across her face, told him she felt sad and lonely, desperate to figure out a way to make their relationship work, to make it whole again. It was obvious that she didn't want him to leave, but he didn't know what she really wanted him to do instead.

"And then what, Letty? Should I just let you insult me? Be mad at me? I can't do this, I'm sorry." He made a move to turn back around, but she pulled his arm with such force that he almost stumbled and fell on the bed. "What the hell, Let?" Dom let out, loud but not angry.

Letty took a deep breath. She knew she didn't have the energy to fight with him, or even argue with him. If he didn't want to stay, there wasn't anything she could do—should do—but if he was just mad at her for opening her mouth, then she would just shut up. "Do you wanna stay?" she asked him and let go of Dom's arm. "Because I don't wanna sleep alone tonight." Her voice was filled with sadness now. "And if there's any chance that you don't want to either, I really wish you'd stay."

Dom sighed deeply, as he ran a hand over his eyes and face. Of course he wanted to stay. In fact, he never wanted to leave her side ever again. He just didn't want to fight with her. Not tonight. Sure, they had to talk about everything sooner or later, he knew that, but tomorrow would be soon enough. Tonight, Dom just wanted to hold her in his arms and be grateful for the fact that she was finally back home. He wanted to make her feel how much it meant to him that she had decided to stay, and he could do that without talking. Words had already ruined this moment once; he wouldn't let them do it again.

Dom stared at her, looked into her tearful eyes, and said quietly, "Of course I wanna stay."

For a moment, he thought he saw the ghost of a smile on Letty's face. Then she shifted onto her side and he took that as a hint to crawl back under the sheets and slid his arms around her waist, pressing against her back. He skimmed his first two knuckles slowly over her arm, from shoulder to the bend of her elbow to her sensitive inner wrist, and she sighed and eased against him. Her fingers closed about his, where his knuckles had crept from her wrist to her palm. Kissing her shoulder and then her neck, Dom relaxed into the pillow, the silk of her skin seeping into his pores while he basked in the flood of hair laying between them. Dom took a deep breath and pulled her closer—he could never have her close enough.

"I'm sorry about what I said," she whispered, "about the cross."

"Shh, it's okay," he assured her, as he threaded his fingers with hers and gave her hand a squeeze. "I know how you feel about it."

Silence settled between them for a few minutes, then she whispered to him, "Sing me to sleep."

He chuckled softly, telling her, "You don't even like my singing," and if he could have seen her face, he would've been able to catch the small movement of her lips. She was smiling—only briefly, but still.

"I just wanna hear your voice," she breathed out with a deep sigh and closed her eyes.

After more than a year without him, missing him, wishing she could talk to him, she now realized how much she had actually missed the sound of that sweet baritone. Hearing his voice was like taking air after a long deep, dive. She didn't just _want_ to hear it, she _needed_ to hear it—to remind herself that she really was home and that Dom was there to hold and be with her. There was just something about his voice that made her feel perfectly comfortable with him, even when he sounded angry, and that was exactly what she needed to feel right now. She needed to hear his voice, because it could drown out the loud voice inside her head that had her listening to the doubts and fears in her thinking.

"What do you want me to sing?" While he spoke, he played, tracing her fingers, caressing her knuckles.

"I don't care, just sing."

Dom felt Letty snuggling backward into him again and instantly pulled her closer. "I think I know just the perfect song," his voice brushed against her, raising goose bumps.

"I love you," she said, her voice so soft, he had almost not heard it.

He smiled sweetly. It was obvious she hadn't actually meant to say it, at least not to say it out loud. He could feel it in the way her body tensed suddenly against his. "And I love _you_ ," he answered, lifting his head so he could kiss her cheek. "I love you, Letty... and I always will." Dom held still for a moment, as he watched her react to his words and touch. Then he brushed her cheek lightly with his soft lips followed by gentle, butterfly kisses to it.

Dom tightened his hold on her and nuzzled his cheek against hers. It was hard not to break out in tears with all the emotions raging inside him, he had to admit that—and he had seen the tears in her eyes waiting to fall—but it was a good thing that they both felt so deeply about this, and about each other. Not that he had ever had any doubts, but it meant that there was still something worth fighting for. It meant they both wanted the same thing, and that was for them to heal so they could find joy and comfort in their relationship again. They had been truly happy, especially during their honeymoon in Cuba, and that happiness was the one thing they both wanted more than anything else.

"We'll be okay, baby, I promise," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. He cleared his throat and then started singing quietly, "When the rain is blowing in your face, and the whole world is on your case... I could offer you a warm embrace... To make you feel my love."

Dom sang every single word of that song, although he noticed her sleeping peacefully just a minute after the first verse. She was exhausted, he could tell. He was, too, but singing to her helped him relax so that he actually had no other thought but sleep on his mind. When he felt like settling into the sheets and close his eyes, Letty turned in his arms and he rested his gaze on her face. Dom smiled as he brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and gave her a loving kiss on the forehead. Not knowing what the morning would bring made him feel anxious—he hated the thought of fighting with her again—but this night had given him so much hope; hope that their love for each other was strong enough to survive this.


End file.
